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US 11,427,285 B2Granted
Slit fairing for towed marine equipment
AssigneePGS Geophysical AS
InventorsThomas Hauge, Rune Tønnessen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Apparatus and techniques are disclosed relating to towing marine equipment. In some embodiments, a vessel tows equipment through a body of water using a towing member with an associated fairing that includes a slit, such that an axis of the slit is non-perpendicular to a portion of the towing member from which the fairing extends.
Claims34
A method, comprising:
- towing equipment through a body of water using a towing member with an attached or integrally formed fairing that extends behind the towing member;
- wherein the fairing includes a slit having a slit axis that intersects the towing member at an intersection point;
- wherein the towing is performed such that the slit axis is not parallel to a tow direction of the intersection point and the slit axis is not perpendicular to a reference line that is tangent or parallel to the towing member at the intersection point;
- and
- wherein the towing is performed such that a reference line that is tangent or parallel to the towing member at the intersection point defines both:
- an acute angle of inclination relative to the tow direction;
- and
- a first slit angle relative to the slit axis, wherein the first slit angle is smaller than the angle of inclination.
5 more elements
A system, comprising:
- a marine fairing that includes a slit having a slit axis;
- wherein the fairing is integrally formed with, or is configured to be attached to, a longitudinal towing member such that the slit axis intersects the towing member at an intersection point;
- wherein the slit axis is not perpendicular to a reference line that is tangent or parallel to the towing member at the intersection point;
- wherein the towing member is configured to be towed in a manner such that an aft point on the towing member is offset, in a crossline direction, from a forward point on the towing member;
- wherein the slit is configured to be located in a portion of the fairing that will be disposed between the aft and forward points on the towing member during towing;
- and
- wherein the slit is further configured such that, during towing, an aft end of the slit axis will be offset from a forward end of the slit axis in the same crossline direction.
4 more elements
A system, comprising:
- a fairing that is included in or configured to couple to a towing member that is configured to tow marine equipment, wherein a portion of the fairing includes one or more slits that are non-perpendicular to a portion of the towing member from which the fairing extends.
An apparatus, comprising:
- towing means for towing survey equipment behind a vessel through a body of water in an in-line direction;
- fairing means for controlling vibration of the towing means, wherein the fairing means includes a slit;
- wherein the apparatus is configured such that, during towing by the towing means, the fairing means will extend behind the towing means such that an axis line of the slit intersects the towing means at an intersection point, wherein a reference line that is tangent or parallel to the towing means at the intersection point defines:
- an angle of inclination relative to the in-line direction, wherein the angle of inclination is an acute angle;
- and
- a slit angle relative to the slit axis, wherein the slit angle is smaller than the angle of inclination.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.